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Plinth

· Private foundation

Forever Our Rivers Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$306k
Granted FY2024still arriving
9
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$120k
Largest
01What you fund
0194% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY20182024.

Environment$872kCommunity Improvement$165kYouth Development$18kArts & Culture$6kHealth$5kAnimals$3kHuman Services$3kOther$0
02FY2024 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k5 grants · $24k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $24k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $258k
$8,500
Median grant
3
States reached
$1.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Conservation Legacy$120,000
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners$88,278
Friends of the Verde River$50,008
Coalitions Collaboratives$23,750
Crested Butte Land Trust$8,500
Lincoln Hills Cares$7,500
Eureka McConnell Science Museum$3,000
Colorado Canyons Association$3,000
Grand Valley Audubon Society$2,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, your grants (FY18–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 80% of your dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Friends of the Verde River: $50k → 14%Gila Watershed Partnership: $40k → 15%Casting for Recovery: $5k → 10%Brown Folks Fishing: $3k → 12%Grand Staircase Escalante Partners: $39k → 9%Grand Staircase Escalante Partners: $88k → 9%Roaring Fork Conservancy: $3k → 7%Crested Butte Land Trust: $9k → 10%Colorado West Land Trust: $8k → 11%Conservation Legacy: $319k → 12%Institute for Environmental Solutions: $3k → 12%RiGHT - Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust: $3k → 14%Western Slope Conservation Center: $5k → 15%River Science: $2k → 17%Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project: $8k → 17%Pergatoire Watershed Partnership: $2k → 18%Friends of the Verde River: $44k → 14%Gila Watershed Partnership: $37k → 15%Grand Staicase Escalante Partners: $38k → 9%ROARING FORK CONSERVANCY: $1k → 7%High Country Conservation Advocates: $4k → 10%Colorado Canyons Association: $5k → 11%Conservation Legacy: $120k → 12%Lincoln Hills Cares: $10k → 12%Friends of Youth and Nature: $5k → 15%Friends of the Verde River: $40k → 14%Colorado Canyons Association: $3k → 11%Four Corners Water Center: $3k → 12%Lincoln Hills Cares: $8k → 12%Friends of Youth and Nature: $1k → 15%FRIENDS OF THE VERDE RIVER: $1k → 14%Eureka McConnell Science Museum: $3k → 11%Coalitions Collaboratives: $24k → 12%Colorado Canyons Association: $3k → 11%Colorado Water Trust: $7k → 12%Eureka McConnell Science Museum: $3k → 11%Colorado West Land Trust: $3k → 11%Colorado West Land Trust: $2k → 11%RIVERSEDGE WEST: $1k → 11%CO CANYONS ASSOCIATION: $1k → 11%COLORADO WEST LAND TRUST: $1k → 11%Grand Valley Audubon Society: $2k → 11%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

04

Where the work is directed

The same grants, placed two ways — where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose earmarks the money.

About 9% of Forever Our Rivers Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked, by their stated purpose, for a different county than the recipient’s own address — money that lands at a nonprofit in one place but is meant to do its work in another.

Forever Our Rivers Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 8.2% directed abroad (not shown)

Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the foundation’s own 990 grant descriptions.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

93%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$994k · 12 repeat orgs$81k to everyone else

12 repeat relationships — 6 still active in FY2024, 6 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
15

Total granted

$994k
$46k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+19%
+63%

Still filing today

100%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $34k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EnvironmentYouth DevelopmentArts & CulturePhilanthropyRecreation & SportsHealthOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as “new.” Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • CONSERVATION LEGACY
    2× · 2023–2024 · $439k · revenue +18%
  • GS
    GRAND STAIRCASE - ESCALANTE PARTNERS INC
    3× · 2021–2024 · $165k · revenue +18%
  • RW
    RIVERSEDGE WEST
    3× · 2018–2022 · $115k · revenue +3%

Funded once

  • RG
    Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project
    one grant, 2023 · $8k
  • CW
    COLORADO WATER TRUSTgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $7k · revenue +427%
  • CASTING FOR RECOVERYgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $5k · revenue +63%

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Living Rivers

Living rivers promotes river restoration through mobilization by articulating conservation and alternative management strategies to the public. seeking to revive the natural habitat and spirit of rivers by undoing the extensive damage done…

Environment
2
Upper Colorado River Alliance
Environment
3
San Juan Resource Conservation and Development Council Inc

San juan resource conservation and development council, inc.'s mission is to protect and improve the natural, cultural, historic and economic resources of the eight county area of southwest colorado.

Environment
4
Colorado Ag Water Alliance

Works with farmers and ranchers to address water issues around the state impacting agriculture.

Environment
5
Colorado Wildlife Heritage Foundation Inc

The mission of the Colorado Wildlife Heritage Foundation is to provide a legacy for Colorado through support of environmental stewardship conservation of wildlife and the protection of critical habitat.

Animals
6
Big Thompson Watershed Coalition

Vision: a healthy and resilient big thompson watershed benefitting fish, wildlife, and the people itserves through collaborative efforts for current and future generations. mission: working with others to take action that protects and…

Environment
7
Native Ecosystems Council

Promote wildlife habitat

Environment
8
Wood River Land Trust Co

The wood river land trust's mission is to protect and sustain the treasured landscapes and life-giving waters of the wood river valley and to inspire love for this special place for generations to come.

Environment
9
Friends of Mount Evans & Lost Creek Wildernesses

The Friends of Mount Evans & Lost Creek Wilderness (FOMELC) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization founded in November 2005. FOMELC is a 100% volunteer non-profit organization. We offer volunteer opportunities for all ages, physical…

Environment
10
Uviation World Water

To leverage education, technology, and innovative solutions to improve river health.

Environment
11
Colorado Open Lands

Colorado open lands' mission is to preserve the significant open lands and natural heritage of colorado through private and public partnerships, innovative land conservation, and strategic leadership.

Environment
12
Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center Inc

CSERC protects water, wildlife, and wild places of the Northern Yosemite region.

Unclassified

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Colorado Canyons Association and the most unlike its peers is The Institute for Environmental Solutions. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

Your grantees are a median of 28 years old; the field is 16. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number21%0%<5yr14%10%5–10yr19%10%10–20yr17%50%20–35yr13%30%35–55yr16%0%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value21%0%<5yr14%2%5–10yr19%13%10–20yr17%82%20–35yr13%3%35–55yr16%0%55yr+

The field is 21% startups (under 5 years old) — 0% of your grantees by number, and just 0% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close 0.0% lost their exemption, against 12% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
0.0%0/22
the rest of the field
12%
1,098/9,049

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

05the grantee network

22 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 20172025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 22 of the 30 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
17/22
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

CONSERVATION LEGACY — $438,731 · Youth DevelopmentCONSERVATION LEGACY+1 more — $6,000 · Youth DevelopmentGRAND STAIRCASE - ESCALANTE PARTNERS INC — $165,366 · EnvironmentGRAND STAIRCASE - ESCALANTE PARTNERS INCRIVERSEDGE WEST — $114,703 · EnvironmentRIVERSEDGE WESTGila Watershed Partnership of Arizona — $76,482 · EnvironmentGila Watershed Partnership of ArizonaMESA COUNTY LAND CONSERVANCY INC — $13,975 · Environment+6 more — $29,000 · Environment+6 moreFRIENDS OF THE VERDE RIVER — $134,737 · PhilanthropyFRIENDS OF THE…Coalitions Collaboratives — $23,750 · OtherRio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project — $8,000 · OtherNFRIA-WSERC CONSERVATION CENTER INC — $5,000 · OtherHIGH COUNTRY CONSERVATION ADVOCATES — $3,750 · OtherTHE INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS — $2,500 · OtherRiGHT - Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust — $2,500 · OtherFour Corners Water Center — $2,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipient — $2,000 · Other+4 more — $4,000 · OtherLINCOLN HILLS CARES — $17,500 · Arts & CultureEUREKA MCCONNELL SCIENCE MUSEUM — $5,500 · Arts & CultureCOLORADO CANYONS ASSOCIATION — $11,000 · Recreation & SportsCASTING FOR RECOVERY — $5,000 · HealthOREGON WILDLIFE HERITAGE FOUNDATION — $2,500 · Animals
Youth Development$444,731Environment$399,526Philanthropy$134,737Other$54,000Arts & Culture$23,000Recreation & Sports$11,000Health$5,000Animals$2,500

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetCONSERVATION LEGACY — $438,731 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetGRAND STAIRCASE - ESCALANTE PARTNERS INC — $165,366 over 3y, 10% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE VERDE RIVER — $134,737 over 4y, 3.2% of budgetRIVERSEDGE WEST — $114,703 over 3y, 9.3% of budgetGila Watershed Partnership of Arizona — $76,482 over 2y, 6.6% of budgetLINCOLN HILLS CARES — $17,500 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetMESA COUNTY LAND CONSERVANCY INC — $13,975 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCOLORADO CANYONS ASSOCIATION — $11,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetCRESTED BUTTE LAND TRUST — $8,500 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCOLORADO WATER TRUST — $7,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSan Juan Citizens Alliance — $6,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetFRIENDS OF YOUTH AND NATURE — $6,000 over 2y, 2.7% of budgetEUREKA MCCONNELL SCIENCE MUSEUM — $5,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCASTING FOR RECOVERY — $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetNFRIA-WSERC CONSERVATION CENTER INC — $5,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetHIGH COUNTRY CONSERVATION ADVOCATES — $3,750 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetROARING FORK CONSERVANCY — $3,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS — $2,500 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetOREGON WILDLIFE HERITAGE FOUNDATION — $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGRAND VALLEY AUDUBON SOCIETY — $2,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetColorado Riverfront Foundation Inc — $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Colorado Gives FoundationCO32.6× affinity15 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Colorado Gives Foundation · Patagoniaorg · Western Colorado Community Foundation Inc · National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · Western Conservation Foundation · National Forest Foundation · Walton Family Foundation Inc · Colorado Watershed Assembly · Gates Family Foundation · The Nature Conservancy · Xcel Energy Foundation · Conservation Lands Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization Forever Our Rivers Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
202122232425
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%your share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from governmentmedian 16%
  • Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation16% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
11report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY2025

Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending — grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12–24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 30 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears. How we build these →

Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

More from the funding graph